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The Authority will help fund BioBlitz events which will allow people to learn about the diverse natural areas with varied wildlife along Coyote Creek and other South Bay parks. Throughout the ten BioBlitz events, naturalists will lead participants, some who may have spent little time in nature, to use iNaturalist, a mobile app, to document biodiversity. These events will continue to expose people to the outdoors in a new way. The four virtual BioBlitzes that will be offered will allow people to learn about local nature in-depth from naturalists and participate remotely
Children’s Discovery Museum’s “Exploration Portal” (EP) is a nature-themed educational space designed to engage children ages 2-10 and the adults who accompany them in hands-on environmental education. With the location’s adjacency to the Guadalupe River, EP encompasses three intertwined strategies for maximum environmental and educational impacts: 1) an architectural design that improves the health of the Guadalupe River; 2) 8 interactive exhibits that inspire curiosity and help children make discoveries about the natural world along with interpretive signage in English, Spanish and Vietnamese; and 3) a landscaping plan that role models the use of native and/or drought tolerant plants, cultivates biodiversity in the site's riparian environment, and immerses children and adults into the cognitive and physical benefits of a verdant environment.
Saved By Nature’s Cultural Competency Project engages over one thousand people of all backgrounds and abilities through three types of environmental education programs: 16 natural & culturally relevant guided nature hikes for underserved multigenerational communities and first time park users; 14 weeks of hand-on science day camp activities for 3rd - 5th graders in collaboration with seven clubhouses from the Boys & Girls Club of Silicon Valley; and two immersive 2-day, 1-night backpacking experiences for up to 30 at-promise-youth teens and their staff in partnership with Youth Alliance. The program mentors and elevates other organizations by sharing best practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants discover and explore breathtaking open spaces near home together, gain skills and confidence that will embolden them to return many times over, steward our natural areas, as well as engage in restorative practices that foster joy and healing in the open space areas of our region.
